Allergy-Friendly Holiday Cookie Recipes

I love cookies and the're everywhere during the holidays. Many people with food allergies have to avoid cookies, but you and/or your kids don't have to miss out completely. Below are links to my recipes for holiday cookies.

Wishing you all safe and happy holidays!

Enjoy!

These recipes are free of the top 8 allergens (egg-free, dairy-free, wheat-free, peanut-free, tree nut-free, soy-free, fish-free and shellfish-free) and vegan.

Ginger Cookies



Chocolate Cookies with Peppermint Icing



Biscochitos

Wreath Cookies



Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

Allergy-Friendly Wreath Cookies

These are simple and really good. No baking required! My mother-in-law makes these. They are like rice crispy treats, but you can either use rice cereal or corn flakes. I made some of each.

These were supposed to be green, but I put the yellow food coloring in before realizing I was out of blue. Oops! These thing happen sometimes.

AllerEnergy makes good marshmallows that are free of the top eight allergens. If you are allergic to fish like I am, be aware that some marshmallows use a fish gelatin in them. I was really surprised to find that out and it's another example of why we always have to read ingredient labels. Allergens can show up in unexpected places.

I use Color Garden and India Tree natural food colors and Surf Sweets jellybeans to decorate.

Enjoy!

This recipe is free of the top 8 allergens (egg-free, dairy-free, wheat-free, peanut-free, tree nut-free, soy-free, fish-free and shellfish-free) and vegan.

Wreath Cookies

6 cups crispy rice cereal, or corn flakes (I use Erewhon brand)
1 package marshmallows that are safe for your allergies
1/4 cup vegetable shortening or Earth Balance soy-free spread
1/4 teaspoon salt (omit if using the spread since that has salt)

Melt the shortening and salt or spread in a large saucepan over low heat.
Slowly stir in the marshmallows until completely melted.
Remove from heat, add the rice cereal and stir until cereal is completely coated with marshmallow.
Press into a greased baking pan, let cool completely and cut.
To make rice crispy "cupcakes" spoon into decorated baking cups immediately after combining the cereal and marshmallow. Let cool completely.

Allergy-Friendly Biscochitos

Biscochitos are the official cookie of my home state of New Mexico. And they deserve that title. They're simple, but delicious. I remember my Grandmother's house often smelling of baking biscochitos as she always had them around. Biscochitos are especially popular as a Christmas cookie.

I decided this year to try my Grandmother's recipe with modifications to substitute the wheat flour and egg. I have started to use a combination of pureed sweet potato and apple sauce to substitute for egg. I think the sweet potato makes for better texture and it adds a nice color.

People say to use lard and ONLY lard for these cookies, but I didn't have any, so I used vegetable shortening. And I really didn't notice the difference.

I am really happy with the result. I can't even tell the difference and Cody loved them too. The best part was that familiar smell of biscochitos baking in the oven!

Enjoy!

This recipe is free of the top 8 allergens (egg-free, dairy-free, wheat-free, peanut-free, tree nut-free, soy-free, fish-free and shellfish-free) and vegan.

Biscochitos

¼ cup sugar
2 tablespoons cinnamon

2 cups lard or vegetable shortening
1 ½ cups sugar
2 teaspoons anise
¼ cup applesauce
¼ cup sweet potato puree (I use baby food)
6 cups oat flour
4 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
½ cup apple cider

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Combine the ¼ cup sugar and cinnamon in a bowl and set aside.
Combine the lard or shortening, 1 ½ cups sugar and anise until creamy.
Stir in the applesauce and sweet potato.
In another bowl combine the flour, baking powder and salt.
Sir the flour mixture into the lard/shortening mixture.
Add the cider or brandy and mix until well blended and stiff dough is formed.
Press or roll the dough into ¼ or ½ inch thickness.
Cut with a pasty knife into small squares or use cookie cutters.
Dip tops of the cookies into the cinnamon sugar and place sugar-side up on a cookie sheet.
Bake about 12 - 15 minutes until lightly browned.

#GivingTuesday

I hope everyone had a nice Thanksgiving weekend! We sure did. I made a chocolate pumpkin cake that was a hit. I'll post the recipe soon.



Today is #GivingTuesday. It is a day dedicated to giving back. Below are links to donation pages of organizations that have been very helpful to us. They provide support and resources for people like us who have food allergies and asthma. Please consider making a donation to one of these, or one of the many other great charitable organizations out there today.

Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America

Food Allergy Research and Education - FARE

Kids With Food Allergies Foundation

Allergy-Friendly Orange Cranberry Sauce

Here's a last-minute addition to my Thanksgiving recipes. There might be one more later. 

Fresh cranberry sauce is so good and so easy to make. You'll never buy it in a can again once you make your own. Plus there are so many different things you can do with it. A lot of times I make it with red wine and I was contemplating trying one with caramelized onions. 

I didn't add a lot of sugar to this recipe. Feel free to add more if you like it sweeter.

Enjoy and Happy Thanksgiving!

This recipe is free of the top 8 allergens (egg-free, dairy-free, wheat-free, peanut-free, tree nut-free, soy-free, fish-free and shellfish-free) and vegan.

Orange Cranberry Sauce

1/2 cup orange juice

1/2 cup apple cider 

1/2 cup orange marmalade

1 cinnamon stick

1 12 ounce package fresh cranberries

2 tablespoons sugar

In a medium saucepan, combine the juices, marmalade, sugar and cinnamon stick. Bring to a boil, stirring until the sugar is dissolved. Add the cranberries, reduce the heat to medium and simmer for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Be sure to remove the cinnamon stick before serving.

Allergy-Friendly Cornbread

I have been wanting to try cornbread and figured Thanksgiving would be a good time to try it as another bread option. I'm really happy with how they turned out. I made cornbread muffins by spooning the batter into parchment paper cups in a muffin pan.

Enjoy!

This recipe is free of the top 8 allergens (egg-free, dairy-free, wheat-free, peanut-free, tree nut-free, soy-free, fish-free and shellfish-free) and vegan.

Cornbread 

1 cup oat or rice milk

1/4 cup applesauce

1 tablespoon lemon juice or white vinegar

2 tablespoons maple syrup

1/4 cup dairy-free, soy-free margarine. I use soy-free Earth Balance Spread

1 1/4 cup corn meal

1 cup oat flour

1 tablespoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the first four ingredients. 

In another bowl combine the cornmeal, oat flour, baking powder and salt.

Combine the wet and dry ingredients and the margarine.

Pour into a 8 inch square pan, or spoon into muffin pan cups.

Bake 20-25 minutes until golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.

An Allergy-Friendly Thanksgiving

Last year I made it my mission to make a complete Thanksgiving meal free of the top eight allergens. Here are the recipes. I am going to try a few new ones this year, but I liked last year's Thanksgiving so much, I will probably keep it mostly the same. Plus I wore myself out last year!

Enjoy and have a Happy Thanksgiving!

These recipes are free of the top 8 allergens (egg-free, dairy-free, wheat-free, peanut-free, tree nut-free, soy-free, fish-free and shellfish-free) and vegan (with the exception of the turkey).

I use vegetable broth in several of these recipes. I prefer to make my own because I think it tastes better and I can control the sodium and ingredients.

Thanksgiving Maple and Cider Turkey

Sides:

Stuffing

Basil and Garlic Mashed Potatoes

Green Bean Casserole

Orange Cranberry Sauce

Breads:

Pumpkin Dinner Rolls

Easy Drop Biscuits

Cornbread

Desserts:

Pumpkin Pie

And why have one dessert when you can have two?

Caramel Apple Pie

FARE Walk 2014

We had a great time at the FARE walk on Saturday and I'm so thankful for our family and friends who supported us! It's really nice to see the kids and their families and friends who come out to support them. One boy had his whole baseball team there with him!

It also feels good to participate and raise money for FARE an organization that has been an invaluable resource for us since we found out about Cody's food allergies.

A great event for a great cause! 

FARE Walk for Food Allergy 2014

In just two days Cody, Josh and I are participating in the Tampa FARE walk for food allergies to raise money for food allergy research, education, awareness and advocacy.

Below is the event information. If you are in the area and want to join our team, or create your own, please contact me at taramgeise@gmail.com.

And here is the link to our team page: Team Cody. Any contributions are greatly appreciated! Every little bit helps. Let's say FAREwell to food allergies!

Event Info

Saturday, November 8, 2014

Walk Location

Lowry Park

7525 North Boulevard

Tampa, FL 33604

Walk Schedule

Registration/Check-in: 8:30am - 9:30am

Walk Ceremony: 9:30am

Walk Begins: Immediately Following Ceremony

Halloween

I hope everyone had a fun and safe Halloween!

We finally got Cody to wear his Pluto costume. I wasn't sure that was going to happen even though he had been telling everyone for weeks that he was going to be "Pluto dog." He had so much fun trick-or-treating and trading his candy! I'm really happy it went so well and he got to participate.

We also did our teal pumpkin for the Teal Pumpkin Project. Only one person asked about it, but that's ok. I plan to put it out every year and  I hope the great idea that started this year grows and continues every year.

Allergy-Friendly Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

Last weekend was really fun and full of firsts for us. Last week I posted about the cupcakes I was making to take to the birthday party we were going to. Cody had so much fun and didn't care at all that he couldn't have the cake and other food. He was just really happy to have his cupcake.

At the party I met another mom who's son had just been diagnosed with several food allergies. She was really emotional about it and just totally overwhelmed. I remember feeling exactly the way she did. I hope I helped answer some of the questions she had and told her that it really does get easier. I felt so bad for her. It's so scary, especially at the beginning.

The next day we went to a Halloween party at the aquarium. We have been talking to Cody about trick-or-treating and then trading in our candy for safe treats. He had so much fun collecting candy and was happy to trade in the candy he got for a toy eel from the aquarium store!

I know these things might get harder as he gets older and he will probably feel left out sometimes. We're really trying to create positive and fun experiences now rather than focus on the negative. Hopefully that sticks with him. 

Since Cody loves my chocolate chip cookies so much, I thought I'd try some with pumpkin for Halloween. He loves these too! They're completely different from the regular chocolate chip cookies I make. I wanted to cut the sugar and replace some of it with maple syrup. These are more cakey, but still really good.

This recipe is free of the top 8 allergens (egg-free, dairy-free, wheat-free, peanut-free, tree nut-free, soy-free, fish-free and shellfish-free) and vegan.

Enjoy!

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

Makes about two dozen cookies

1/2 cup vegetable shortening
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup maple syrup
1 cup pumpkin
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 cups oat flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup Enjoy Life chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the shortening and brown sugar.
Stir in the maple syrup, pumpkin and vanilla.
In another bowl combine the flour, baking powder and salt.
Combine the wet and dry ingredients.
Drop teaspoonfuls of the dough onto a baking sheet.

Flatten with your fingers. These will not flatten on their own.
Bake about 15 - 20 min. minutes or until golden brown.

Want more of a pumpkin spice flavor? Add some pumpkin pie seasoning, or some cinnamon.

Allergy-Friendly Strawberry and Chocolate Cupcakes

These are my go-to cupcakes for birthdays and everything!

I use my favorite icing recipe, Enjoy Life chocolate chips and Color Garden natural food colors and Surf Sweets jellybeans to decorate.

Enjoy!

This recipe is free of the top 8 allergens (egg-free, dairy-free, wheat-free, peanut-free, tree nut-free, soy-free, fish-free and shellfish-free) and vegan.

Strawberry Cupcakes

1 3/4 cups oat flour or flour/blend of your choice
1 cup sugar

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup pureed strawberries
1/3 cup vegetable oil

1 teaspoon white vinegar

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 and grease cake pan or muffin pan.

Combine flour, sugar, baking soda and salt.

In another large bowl combine the strawberry puree, oil, vinegar and vanilla.

Gradually stir in the flour mixture. Be sure to mix well.

Spoon the batter into the cake or muffin pan. Bake for about 30 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.

*Note that these will not come out pink because the oat flour browns. I don't want you to be surprised!

Chocolate Cupcakes

1 1/2 cups oat flour or flour/blend of your choice
1 cup sugar

1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (I use Vermont Nut Free)

1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup oat or rice milk

1/3 cup vegetable oil

1 teaspoon white vinegar

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 and grease cake pan or muffin pan.

Combine flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt.

In another large bowl combine the oat/rice milk, oil, vinegar and vanilla.

Gradually stir in the flour mixture. Be sure to mix well.

Spoon the batter into the cake or muffin pan. Bake for about 30 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.

Halloween and the Teal Pumpkin Project

I'm sorry I haven't been posting as often. Work seems to be getting in the way of writing new posts! Things will slow down after this month and I can get back to cooking new things and blogging. Halloween is my favorite holiday, so I will be posting a few things including some delicious pumpkin chocolate chip cookies I just made!

Halloween is coming up soon. It can be a difficult holiday for kids with food allergies, but there are lots of ways to make it fun.

This is the first Halloween that Cody really understands the concept of trick-or-treating. I want him to be able to participate and not be left out of this fun tradition. I personally love the idea of "trick-or-trade" where kids trade in the candy they get for safe treats, or for something special they want. That way it's still fun for them and they can safely participate.

There's a book called the No Biggie Bunch Trade-or Treat Halloween about this. I love the No Biggie Bunch books. They address food allergies in a positive way that's educational, but also easy for kids to understand and they can relate to the characters in the books.

Have you heard about the Teal Pumpkin Project? If not, click the link to read about it. The idea is to paint a teal pumpkin to put outside your house to let kids with food allergies know that you have non-food items. I love the idea! I'm really happy to see it getting a lot of attention and that people with and without food allergies are participating. Below is our teal pumpkin.

Hope you all have a happy, safe and fun Halloween!

Allergy-Friendly Zucchini Bread

I can't believe I haven't posted this yet. I thought I did, but looked back and it wasn't there.

This is one of the first things I made for Cody along with sweet potato bread when we found out about his food allergies. We were trying to figure out how to get calories in him and our whole new world of allergen-free cooking. It seems like so long ago.

I think if you are just starting out with food allergies it's helpful to hear that what seems impossible and overwhelming at first will get a lot easier. This is just the way we eat and cook now, I bake about one a week, Cody loves to help me and he enjoys the food we make. Josh has also learned how to make food for Cody. He made blueberry waffles for him the other morning. It really does just become second nature.

Enjoy!

This recipe is free of the top 8 allergens (egg-free, dairy-free, wheat-free, peanut-free, tree nut-free, soy-free, fish-free and shellfish-free) and vegan.

Zucchini Carrot Bread

1/4 cup maple syrup

1/4 cup applesauce

1/4 cup vegetable oil

1 small zucchini, finely diced or shredded

1/2 cup carrots, finely diced or shredded

1 1/2 cups oat flour
1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

pinch of salt
(If the batter seems too dry add oat or rice milk a tablespoon at a time. Be careful not to add too much because it can quickly become too gooey.)

I sometime like to add some diced apple to this recipe if I have extra apples around.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and oil a loaf pan.

In a large bowl mix the maple syrup, applesauce, and oil.

Mix in the zucchini and carrots.

In another bowl combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt.

Slowly blend the flour mix into the zucchini carrot mix.

Pour into a loaf pan and bake 50 – 60 min. or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

Cool completely then slice.

Happy Birthday to Cody!

Happy 3rd Birthday to our sweet, funny, happy boy! 

Yesterday was Cody's birthday and we had a great weekend celebrating.

I made his favorite chocolate chip cookies into a Mickey Mouse cookie cake and he loved it. I also made some Mickey shaped cookies.

I've been really busy getting ready for Cody's birthday and with other things, so I haven't posted anything new lately. More coming soon. I promise!

Allergy-Friendly Southwest Pasta and Quinoa Salad

I can't believe summer is almost over! It's still really hot here and I love cold pasta salads when it's hot out.

This this healthy and delicious pasta salad makes a great side or main dish. And it's something you can prepare ahead to put in your child's lunch box for a healthy lunch.

Enjoy!

This recipe is free of the top 8 allergens (egg-free, dairy-free, wheat-free, peanut-free, tree nut-free, soy-free, fish-free and shellfish-free) and vegan.

Southwest pasta salad

1 box rice, or other allergy-friendly fusilli or penne pasta 

1/2 cup quinoa

1 can black beans, drained and rinsed

1 cup frozen corn, thawed

1 red bell pepper, finely diced

3 - 4 green onions, white and light green parts chopped

Honey Lime Dressing

1 clove garlic, minced

1/4 cup olive oil

1/4 cup fresh lime juice

2 tablespoons honey

1 tablespoon chile powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

* You may want to double this if you like more dressing on your salad, or if you will have leftovers. I find that rice pasta tends to dry out a bit more, so you can add more dressing when you serve it later.

Prepare the pasta and quinoa according to the package directions. Toss them together in a little olive oil in a large bowl to keep the pasta from sticking.
Stir in the beans, corn, pepper and onions.
In a small mixing bowl whisk together the dressing ingredients.
Pour over the salad and toss to combine well.
You can eat it warm, or let it chill in the refrigerator for an hour. 

Cody's First Day of School!

Yesterday was Cody's first day of school ever. He loved it and I'm so happy for him! We spent a lot of time preparing him and ourselves for this and I was completely exhausted last night. We are extremely lucky to have found a school that is very food allergy knowledgeable and friendly and they don't do lunch which is good for us at this point. At least we don't have to worry about that until he's a little older and more able to manage his food allergies.

I thought I would be terrified when this day came and I'm just so grateful that I could relax and enjoy this big, exciting new chapter in Cody's life. It was a happy day for all of us.

Yesterday morning I made Cody his favorite strawberry and lemon pancakes.

Enjoy!

This recipe is free of the top 8 allergens (egg-free, dairy-free, wheat-free, peanut-free, tree nut-free, soy-free, fish-free and shellfish-free) and vegan.

Lemon and strawberry pancakes 

Makes about 8 pancakes

5-6 large strawberries

1 1/2 cup oat flour

3 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup oat milk

1/2 cup applesauce

1/4 vegetable oil

1/4 cup maple syrup

Zest from 1 small lemon

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

1 teaspoon vanilla

Purée the strawberries in a blender or food processor.

In a large mixing bowl combine the flour, bakng powder and salt.

In another bowl combine the strawberry purée and the remaining ingredients.

Combine the wet and dry ingredients.

Heat a lightly oiled griddle or skillet over medium heat.
Use a ladle or measuring cup to pour about 1/4 cup batter on the skillet or griddle.
Cook until bubbles appear and the bottom is golden brown, about 2 minutes.
Flip using a spatula and cook until the other side is golden brown, about 2 minutes.
Place on a plate and keep warm in a 200 degree oven.
Repeat until the batter is gone.

Allergy-Friendly Gazpacho

My plan was to post a dairy-free, allergy-friendly recipe for my Grandma's apricot ice cream. As sometimes happens with experimental cooking, it didn't work at all! But I learned something new. Apparently maple syrup doesn't freeze well. Oops! I'll try again next week.

So today I'm sharing one of my favorite summer recipes from my mom. She doesn't like when I share her recipes, but this is so good and refreshing I had to do it. Hopefully she'll forgive me for sharing it here. I didn't even have to change it to make it allergy-friendly. Thanks Mom!

Enjoy!

This recipe is free of the top 8 allergens (egg-free, dairy-free, wheat-free, peanut-free, tree nut-free, soy-free, fish-free and shellfish-free) and vegan.

Gazpacho

2 lbs. fresh tomatoes 

1 cucumber, peeled

1 small red onion, chopped and rinsed (to mellow the flavor)

1 green or red bell pepper, remove stem and seeds

1 garlic clove

1/4 cup chopped green chile, or 1 jalapeño, remove stem and seeds (optional)

2 cups tomato juice

1/3 cup red wine vinegar

1/4 cup olive oil

Salt and pepper to taste

I leave the tomato skin on, but if you want to remove the skin you can do that by blanching them in boiling water for 10 seconds. This will loosen the skin and make it easy to remove.
Chop the vegetables into large chunks and place them in a blender or food processor (you may have to divide into batches if they don't all fit).
Add the remaining ingredients.

Blend until smooth.

Pour into a large bowl and season to taste with salt and pepper.

Chill in the refrigerator for at least a hour before serving.
I like to garnish with fresh avocado.

Allergy-Friendly Lemon and Garlic Pasta Primavera

This dish is a great and tasty way to use summer vegetables. Feel free to add your favorites.

Have I mentioned how much I love lemons, especially in summer recipes? Last year we planted a lemon tree in our yard and it's just starting to grow fruit. I'm really excited to have my own, homegrown lemons. I'll put them in everything!

This recipe is free of the top 8 allergens (egg-free, dairy-free, wheat-free, peanut-free, tree nut-free, soy-free, fish-free and shellfish-free) and vegan.

Enjoy!

Pasta Primavera

1 package rice pasta of your choice

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 medium zucchini, diced

1 medium yellow squash, diced

1cup broccoli (or asparagus, or green beans), cut into bite size pieces

1 cup frozen peas, thawed

1 cup fresh spinach or kale, chopped

Juice from 1/2 a lemon

1/2 cup vegetable broth

1/2 teaspoon fresh lemon zest

12 grape or cherry tomatoes, cut in half

1 tablespoon fresh parsley, chopped

3 scallions, thinly sliced. (optional)

Salt and pepper to taste

Cook the pasta according to package directions, drain and set aside.

In a large pan heat the olive oil over medium heat. 

Add garlic and sauté for about 30 seconds until fragrant.

Add squash, broccoli and kale and sauté until slightly softened, about 3 minutes.

Add broth and lemon juice. Bring to a simmer and cook for about 4-5 minutes until veggies are soft and sauce is reduced by about 1/2.

Add peas during the last 2 minutes of cooking.

Add salt and pepper to taste.

Remove from heat.

Add the pasta, lemon zest, parsley and scallions to the sauce and toss.

Adjust seasoning and serve.

I added some crushed red pepper flakes to add a bit of a kick!

Happy Birthday to Josh!

Happy Birthday to my awesome husband and Cody's daddy, Josh! Cody and I made him this birthday cookie and I'm pretty proud of it even though my decorating skills are not that great. I am practicing for Cody's birthday in September. I plan to make him a Mickey Mouse chocolate chip birthday cookie. He likes the cookies more than cake, so I thought he'd enjoy that more. I made a mini-version for him today.

I used my allergy-friendly chocolate chip cookie recipe and my favorite icing recipe.
I added cocoa powder to make brown (you'll have to add a bit more water also until you get the right consistency for decorating) and Color Garden natural food dye for the red(ish) icing. It looks more pink in the photo.

Easy Allergy-Friendly and Yeast-Free Pizza Crust

I have been working on this for about a year. It is finally at a place where I'm really happy with it and Cody loves the little pizzas we make!

We make mini-pizzas. Just press them by hand. It's easy and Cody helps me.

My little helper is very good at making pizza crust, but he likes to eat the uncooked dough. Seriously. I can't get him to try so many delicious things, but he will eat an entire roll made of uncooked pizza dough. Toddlers are baffling!

Enjoy!

This recipe is free of the top 8 allergens (egg-free, dairy-free, wheat-free, peanut-free, tree nut-free, soy-free, fish-free and shellfish-free) and vegan.

Pizza crust

Makes two large pizza crusts, or about 20 mini-pizza crusts

3 1/2 cups oat flour

4 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup olive oil

1 teaspoon maple syrup

1 1/2 cup water 

Preheat oven to 400 degrees

In a large mixing bow, combine the flour, baking powder and salt. 
Add the oil, water and maple syrup. 
Use a mixer, or hand mix until the dough forms a ball.
If the dough is too sticky add oat flour a tablespoon at a time, or if it's too dry add water a tablespoon at a time.
Roll out to make 2 large pizza crusts, or roll into balls and press to make mini-pizzas.
Bake 15 min.

Add your favorite bottled sauce, or click here for my recipe for tomato sauce, and toppings (we use Go Veggie! vegan rice cheese) and bake another 10 min.

Cody helping press the dough.

Cody eating raw dough and saying, "mmmm!"

Allergy-Friendly Red, White and Blue Smoothies and Popsicles

I meant to post this earlier, but I just couldn't seem to get to it. Here's a fun smoothie idea for kids. 

I made this red, white and blue smoothie for Cody using my dairy-free, allergy friendly smoothie recipe. Click here for the recipe. 

For the white, I just used the basic recipe without any added fruit. For the red, I added cherries and for the blue, I added blueberries. Make sure you pour the layers very slowly, so they don't get mixed together. 

This can also be poured into Popsicle molds for red, white and blue ice pops.

Slightly freeze each layer before adding the next.

Have a safe and happy 4th of July!

Allergy-Friendly Fourth of July Recipes

Are you having 4th of July Party and looking for some allergy-friendly ideas? Here are some recipes to put together a tasty, allergy-friendly party.

All recipes are free of the top 8 allergens (egg-free, dairy-free, wheat-free, peanut-free, tree nut-free, soy-free, fish-free and shellfish-free). 
All recipes except the burgers are also vegan.

Enjoy and have a happy 4th of July!

Buffalo Hummus Burgers
These can also be made with beef or turkey instead of buffalo.

Potato Salad

Cole Slaw

Pasta Salad

Apricot Blueberry Crisp


And last, but not least, I love Sangria at summer parties! This is for adults only, though.

Sparkling Sangria

Allergy-Friendly Cole Slaw and Father's Day

This is a little late because we were visiting my parents, but I wanted to say Happy Father's Day to all you great dads out there. I was able to celebrate this Father's Day with my dad and my husband, Cody's daddy, Josh. They are two of the best dads I know and Cody and I are very lucky to have them!

This Saturday is the official start of summer! It's time for all those summer pool parties and barbecues. Here's a really easy, allergy-friendly side dish.

Enjoy!

This recipe is free of the top 8 allergens (egg-free, dairy-free, wheat-free, peanut-free, tree nut-free, soy-free, fish-free and shellfish-free) and vegan.

Cole slaw

1/4 cup red wine vinegar

1 1/2 tablespoons maple syrup

2 tablespoons soy-free Veganaise (you can use vegetable oil if you want, but Veganaise gives it a bit of creaminess that I like) 

1 teaspoon celery seed

1 bag shredded cabbage and carrots

Salt and pepper to taste

Mix the first four ingredients in a bowl. 

Add the cabbage, season to taste with salt and pepper and toss.

That's all!

Allergy-Friendly, Eggless Chickpea Frittata

A while back I posted about a recipe I found for chickpea omlettes. I started making frittatas instead of omlettes. It's much easier and faster, which is always a plus! And you really won't believe how good this is until you try it! Feel free to try your favorite omlette or frittata fillings.

Enjoy!

This recipe is free of the top 8 allergens (egg-free, dairy-free, wheat-free, peanut-free, tree nut-free, soy-free, fish-free and shellfish-free) and vegan.

Chickpea Frittata 

1 cup chickpea or garbanzo bean flour

1/4 cup oat flour

2 teaspoons baking soda 

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 small onion, chopped

1 cup fresh or frozen spinach, chopped

1 small zucchini,chopped

1 small tomato, chopped

1/4 cup fresh basil, chopped

1 1/2 cups water
Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
In a large mixing bowl combine the flours, baking soda and salt.
Slowly pour in the water while whisking to mix well and set aside.
In a large, heavy pan, sauté the onion over medium heat for about 4-5 minutes, until just soft.
Make sure you use a cast iron pan or heavy stainless steel pan that can handle the 400 degree oven.

Add the zucchini and cook for 3-4 minutes, until just soft.

Add the spinach and tomato and cook for another 2 minutes 

Pour the batter into the pan, mix and cook for about 3-4 min. to brown the bottom.

Transfer to oven and bake 10-15 min until golden brown.

Allergy-Friendly Potato, Leek and Broccoli Summer Soup

Summer may not have officially started yet, but it's blazing hot here. It sure feels like summer!

When it's hot out I like cold food. My mom used to make vichyssoise (a cold potato and leek soup) in the summer when I was a kid and I have always loved it, so I decided to make a version with broccoli stems. The potatoes make a great, "creamy" soup without any milk or cream.

Cody loves broccoli. And by that I mean he could eat broccoli all day every day. If I offer him any other food and broccoli he will always choose broccoli. I call him the broccoli monster! Anyway, I end up with a lot of broccoli stems. I hate to throw them away, so I often use them in soups, or chop them up and use them in stir fry. 

This soup can also be served hot if you prefer.

Enjoy!

This recipe is free of the top 8 allergens (egg-free, dairy-free, wheat-free, peanut-free, tree nut-free, soy-free, fish-free and shellfish-free) and vegan.

Potato, leek and broccoli soup

1 large leek, white and light green parts only, rinsed well (best to immerse in water and separate layers to wash thoroughly) and chopped

1 lb. russet potatoes, peeled and chopped

3-4 broccoli stems, chopped 

5 cups vegetable broth

Salt and pepper to taste 

Fresh chives, chopped

Add all of the ingredients except chives to a large soup pot.

Bring to a boil.

Reduce heat, cover and simmer for about 20 min, until the vegetables are soft and falling apart.

Use and immersion blender, or transfer to a blender or food processor to blend until smooth.
Adjust seasoning and garnish with chives.

Food Allergy Awareness Week: Thank you!

Because of the nature of food allergies we often have to ask and rely on others to keep our kids safe.

Thank you to grandparents, siblings, family, friends, babysitters, teachers, administrators, school nurses, classmates, other parents and sometimes even strangers. We are more grateful for what you do than you know!

Also today is the Kids With Food Allergies Foundation and Peanut Free Planet Freeling Friday fundraiser. You get an allergy-friendly gift bag with your purchase and 5% goes to KWFA!